Broadhall Way

History

Stevenage Town

Broadhall Way was constructed in 1960 by the Stevenage Development Corporation, financed through contributions of £12,000 from the Corporation, £4,000 from Stevenage Town, and £1,000 from the Football Association. The site, formerly occupied by a sewage works, hosted its first fixture on 26 August 1961, when Stevenage Town played Ware in a Delphian League match. In its early years, the ground utilised stands relocated from the club's former London Road stadium, before permanent stands were erected on both the east and west sides. The pitch was of particularly poor quality, consisting largely of mud and stones. Floodlights were installed in 1964, but few other improvements were made before the club folded in 1968.{{cite news | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140506010146/http://www.football-league.co.uk/features/20100708/whats-in-a-name-stevenage_2293307_2085686 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2014-05-06

Stevenage Athletic

The stadium subsequently became home to Stevenage Athletic, who played there from 1968 until their bankruptcy in 1976.{{cite news | access-date = 22 August 2009}} Broadhall Way then remained unused for three years. In November 1976, the newly founded Stevenage Borough attempted to stage their first fixture at the ground, against Hitchin Town Youth, but the match was abandoned when the former chairman of Stevenage Athletic, who retained the lease, vandalised the playing surface by digging a trench across the pitch.

Stevenage

The council repurchased the stadium in 1980 and installed Stevenage Borough as tenants. The club's first competitive match at the ground took place on 16 August 1980, a 3–1 victory over ON Chenecks in the United Counties League, attended by 421 spectators.{{cite news

In January 2009, the club agreed a six-figure sponsorship deal with the Lamex Food Group, leading to the renaming of Broadhall Way to the Lamex Stadium.{{cite news |access-date = 22 February 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110303212320/http://www.stevenagefc.com/page/GroundGuide/0,,10839,00.html |archive-date = 3 March 2011 | access-date = 5 September 2025}} and the stadium hosted Football League matches for the first time in the 2010–11 season.{{cite news | access-date = 17 April 2010}}{{cite news |access-date = 23 August 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111108001759/http://www.footballgroundguide.com/stevenage/ |archive-date = 8 November 2011

Structure and facilities

West Stand

The stadium comprises four stands: the East Terrace, the North Stand, the West Stand, and the South Stand. The first grandstand on the west side was built in 1964 following Stevenage Town's entry into the Southern League. It was a propped, cantilevered structure with six steps of terracing at the front and an elevated seating area for 440 spectators. This was replaced in 1994 by a 460-capacity all-seater stand, which was extended to cover the full length of the pitch after Stevenage won the Conference Premier title in 1996, increasing the stand's capacity to 1,800. This extended structure forms the present West Stand. The West Stand is fully seated and covered, with open corners on either side. At its rear are glass-fronted club offices and executive boxes, while the club shop is located adjacent to the stand, opposite the official car park.{{Cite news |access-date = 12 April 2013 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111108001759/http://www.footballgroundguide.com/stevenage/ |archive-date = 8 November 2011

East Terrace

When the ground was first built, a cantilevered East Stand was constructed at a cost of £2,500. It seated 230 spectators on benches and was built in brick with an asbestos roof. On either side of the stand were covered sections relocated from the club's former London Road ground, each with a couple of steps of terracing beneath. These were later replaced by small, uncovered terraces. The original East Stand remained in place until 1996, when it was demolished and replaced by the East Terrace, which runs the full length of the pitch. A roof was added in 1998. The East Terrace has an approximate capacity of 2,700, designated for home supporters. It features a central gable with a clock above the halfway line, and supports a television gantry on its roof.{{cite news | access-date = 21 August 2009 | archive-date = 29 June 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110629050157/http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/panoramas/broadhall_way_football_ground_360.shtml | url-status = dead

North Stand

At the time of the ground's opening, the north end accommodated a clubhouse and changing rooms, with several rows of terracing provided for spectators. A permanent terrace was constructed in 1994, featuring seven steps and a partially covered structure, three-quarters of the terrace was roofed, while the remainder was uncovered. With a capacity of 700, it also provided facilities for disabled supporters.{{cite news | access-date = 29 January 2013}} though the project was delayed due to "numerous obstacles".{{Cite news | access-date = 12 August 2017}} To help fund the redevelopment, the club launched a mini-bond scheme through the sports investment platform Tifosy in July 2017, raising over £500,000 from more than 200 supporters within five weeks, with a further £100,000 contributed shortly afterwards.{{Cite news | access-date = 4 September 2017}}{{Cite news | access-date = 4 September 2017}}

The North Terrace was demolished in January 2018.{{Cite news | access-date = 7 January 2018 | access-date = 1 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190226160517/https://www.thecomet.net/news/stevenage-fc-north-stand-work-restarts-1-5906792 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2019-02-26 | access-date = 1 August 2020 | access-date = 1 August 2020}} The stand includes a bar and lounge, named The 76 Lounge in reference to the club's formation in 1976, which is available to both home and away supporters on matchdays.{{cite news

South Stand

Until the 1990s, the southern end of Broadhall Way consisted of a grass bank. In 1994, a small terraced stand was erected, mirroring the design of the North Terrace with a covered central section and uncovered sides; the roof was removed two years later. A replacement all-seater structure was constructed in 2001 at a cost of £600,000 and brought into use during the 2001–02 season. Designated for away supporters, the single-tiered, covered stand has a capacity of 1,390. An electronic scoreboard, originally installed in 2001 and replaced in October 2011,{{cite news |access-date = 23 August 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090725045355/http://www.conferencegrounds.co.uk/stevenage_borough.htm |archive-date = 25 July 2009

Training facilities

A £5 million training facility at Shephalbury Park was announced and subsequently opened in autumn 2002. In June 2011, the club acquired a 42-acre former sports ground at Bragbury End for the development of a new training complex.{{cite news | access-date = 21 July 2012 | archive-date = 22 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160322071541/http://www.thecomet.net/stevenage-fc/wallace_building_for_the_future_1_913037 | url-status = dead

Other uses

The stadium hosted its first international fixture on 1 March 2001, when the England under-19 team drew 1–1 with the Netherlands in front of 1,616 spectators.{{cite news | access-date = 12 April 2012}} and England National Game XI fixtures.{{cite news | access-date = 20 July 2012 | archive-date = 23 July 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120723013004/http://www.thecomet.net/sport/arsenal_and_celtic_stars_on_target_in_korea_win_1_1454040 | url-status = bot: unknown | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080415011643/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/stevenage-seek-to-make-most-of-grand-stage-650899.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 15 April 2008 | access-date = 2 September 2009

Broadhall Way was the neutral venue for the Conference South play-off finals in 2006, 2007, and 2008.{{cite news | access-date = 24 August 2009}}{{cite news | access-date = 24 August 2009}} Beyond professional football, it has staged a range of sporting and community events, including charity matches. It hosted a professional boxing event on 18 May 2019, in which Billy Joe Saunders defeated Shefat Isufi to win the WBO super-middleweight title.{{cite news | access-date = 28 March 2019}}{{cite news | access-date = 4 September 2025}} In May 2025, the stadium staged SMR 25, a three-day music festival.{{cite news

Records

The highest attendance recorded at Broadhall Way was 8,040 for a match against Newcastle United in the FA Cup fourth round on 25 January 1998.{{cite news | access-date = 23 August 2009 | access-date = 13 July 2016}}{{cite news | access-date = 13 July 2016}}

Since Stevenage's promotion to the Football Conference in 1994, average attendances at Broadhall Way have demonstrated a steady overall increase. The club's first season in the Football League produced an average attendance of 2,897, surpassing the previous high of 2,855 set during the 1996–97 season. This figure rose significantly in the following season, with an average of 3,559 recorded during the club's first season in League One, marking both the first time the club averaged over 3,000 and exceeding a cumulative home attendance of 100,000 across the season. | access-date = 22 May 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120525095629/http://www.stevenagefc.com/page/LatestNewsDetail/0,,10839~2780497,00.html | archive-date = 25 May 2012 | url-status = dead Attendances fluctuated during subsequent years, correlating with changes in league position and division. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented supporters from attending matches in the 2020–21 season, figures began to rise again. A new record seasonal average was established in the club's 2023–24 season, with 4,660 spectators attending League One fixtures on average. Although this slightly declined to 3,989 during the 2024–25 season, it remained well above historical averages. The club's lowest average attendance during their time in the top five tiers of English football was recorded in the 1994–95 season, their first in the Conference, with an average of 1,440.

Transport

: The ground is located just over a mile away from Stevenage railway station, which is adjacent to the town centre; the station lies on the East Coast Main Line north of King's Cross station. A shuttle bus service operates on matchdays between the station, town centre, and the stadium. Parking for around 500 vehicles is available opposite the ground free of charge.

References